Governor: New York to recognize out-of-state gay marriages

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Same-sex marriages legally performed elsewhere will be recognized in New York in response to a state court ruling this year, Gov. David Paterson's spokeswoman said Wednesday.

State agencies, including those governing insurance and health care, must immediately change policies and regulations to make sure "spouse," "husband" and "wife" are clearly understood to include gay couples, according to a memo sent earlier this month from the governor's counsel.

Gay marriage is not legal in New York, and the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, has said it can only be legalized by the Legislature. But the memo, based on a Feb. 1 New York Appellate Division court ruling, would recognize the marriages of New Yorkers who are legally wed elsewhere.

The appellate judges determined that there is no legal impediment in New York to the recognition of a same-sex marriage. The state Legislature "may decide to prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized abroad," the ruling said. "Until it does so, however, such marriages are entitled to recognition in New York."

Massachusetts is currently the only U.S. state that recognizes same-sex marriage, but its residency requirements would bar New Yorkers from marrying there.

New York residents could instead flock to California, where gay couples will be able to wed beginning June 17 - unless that state's Supreme Court decides to stay its own ruling. Upon their return home, in the eyes of the state, their unions would be no different from those of their heterosexual neighbors.

Gay couples could also travel outside the country to marry in Canada, for example.

Paterson spokeswoman Erin Duggan said the May 14 memo is intended to guide the actions of state agencies. Agencies have until June 30 to report back to the governor's counsel on how, specifically, the directive will change existing state benefits and services for gay couples.

The memo states that failure to include gay marriages in the dispensing of state services such as health care benefits could violate state human rights law. The agencies could face sanctions for any violations, the memo warns.

The agency changes can be instituted through internal memos or changes in regulations and would not require legislative action, Paterson counsel David Nocenti said in the memo, which was first reported by The New York Times.

The February appellate decision involved the case of a woman whose female partner was denied health benefits by her employer even though she had been legally married in Canada.

Gay rights advocates have sought recognition for gay marriages so couples could share family health care plans, receive tax breaks by filing jointly, enjoy stronger adoption rights, and inherit property. Most of these advocates rejected civil unions, thought to be a compromise, because the unions lacked the legal protections of marriage.

Mike Groll / AP Photo

New York Gov. David Paterson greets school children who toured the state Capitol in Albany, N.Y., Tuesday, May 27, 2008. Paterson, who became governor on March 17, uses words like "frightening" and "overwhelming" to describe the challenges of being the nation's only blind governor. But he also speaks with pride about how his unlikely ascension has taught him to embrace his disability and may help others be more comfortable with theirs. He rose from the lieutenant governor's office when Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal.

New York begins to alter policy on gay marriage

By JEREMY W. PETERS, The New York Times

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada.

In a directive issued on May 14, the governor’s legal counsel, David Nocenti, instructed the agencies that gay couples married elsewhere “should be afforded the same recognition as any other legally performed union.”

The revisions are most likely to involve as many as 1,300 statutes and regulations in New York governing everything from joint filing of income tax returns to transferring fishing licenses between spouses.

To read more, click here.

2008 Lavender Footlights Festival - Saturday and Sunday schedules

News release:

The Lavender Footlights Festival
http://www.lavenderfootlights.org/

All performances at the Miami Science Museum
Miami Science Museum
3280 South Miami Avenue
Miami, FL 33129

Saturday, May 31st

6:00pm
The Lost Art of Conversation by Ted Sod
directed by Marjorie O'Neil Butler
The Lost Art Of Conversation is a comedy with dramatic undertones, which focuses on seven disparate characters of various racial and ethnic backgrounds and the ways in which their lives intersect over a ten-year period. With brazen confidence and humor, The Lost Art of Conversation confronts how volatile interracial relationships/families can be, our intrinsic fear of death and the lack of communication in modern couples. Ultimately the play shows how we invent our own families for survival and hold onto relationships even when they are dysfunctional.
Followed by Q&A with the author.

7:45pm
Opening Night Reception
Enjoy cocktails & hors d' oeuvres by Green Gables Café while congregating with fellow theater enthusiasts.

8:30pm
Briefs
A collection of new short plays by writers from across the U.S.

Bush Hates Flags by Kent Forsberg, Middleton, WI
Two young boys are on opposite sides of a Washington protest but learn to accept each other and themselves.

Just Sex (Jazz Hands) By Linda Suzuki, Silver Spring, MD
Two women try and have a strictly sexual relationship, but their previous long-term relationship makes things just a bit more complicated.

Messages Deleted by Rich Espey, Towson, MD
The ghost of a young man’s lover urges him to remove everything of his from their apartment to spare his family finding out about his sexuality.

Mr Clean by Jonathan Kronenberger, Parma Heights, OH
Scott has hired a new maid, David loves how clean the apartment is – but when David discovers how Francisco, the new maid, wants to be paid, he’s not sure he can give him his due earnings.

Santer Baby by Rick Park, Boston, MA
Two old friends from high school bump into each-other during the busy Christmas shopping season. Both with kids, they are each in for a few surprises since they last saw each other.

Tenth Floor by Lia Romeo, Highland Park, NJ
The groom and his best man are late for the wedding. Both of them have a secret, but one is much more personal than the other.

Blood by Walter Thinnes, New York City, NY
Plasma and platelets are a metaphor for the flexible but enduring relationship that two men share.

A Little Experimenting by Rhea MacCallum, Downey, CA
A mother tries to give her daughter the birds and the bees talk, but the daughter finds out much more about her mother than she bargained for.

Sunday, June 1st
5:30pm
An Evening with Douglas Carter Beane
in conversation with Christine Dolen
South Florida's leading theater critic, Christine Dolen, of The Miami Herald, will lead a conversation with the Tony-nominated playwright of Little Dog Laughed, As Bees in Honey Drown and Xanadu.  The discussion will navigate through Beane's body of work and feature live excerpts from select plays in Beane's canon.  The program will culminate with the presentation of the OVATION Award to Beane followed by a cocktail reception in the scribes honor!

7:45pm
OVATION Reception with award recipient Douglas Carter Beane
Enjoy cocktails & hors d'oeuvres by Green Gables Café while congregating with fellow theater enthusiasts.

8:00pm
The Nance by Douglas Carter Beane
Directed by Ryan Capiro
Ned and Chauncey, two unlikely strangers, meet each other at a diner during the golden age of burlesque. One, an over-the-top showman, the other a dark and handsome stranger – their curious relationship is full of surprises. Mayor LaGuardia is on a mission to close down the burlesque circuit in New York City and that spells nothing but trouble for Chauncey. A cast of bold showgirls and theatre-folk in an underground world laden with backstabbing and double-talk round out the nitty gritty world that they all live in.

The Lavender Footlights Festival is presented by Living Arts Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing, supporting, developing and presenting new arts and cultural work by minority voices.

TICKET INFO:
Tickets are available online or at the door.
www.lavenderfootlights.org

Individual tickets are $15

Evening Pass is $25

Festival 2-Day Pass is $50

Supporter 2-Day Pass is $100

All tickets include cocktail reception

Lindsay Lohan's dad confirms lesbian relationship

From Tonight at Independent News & Media:

Michael Lohan says it's obvious to anyone with "half a brain" his daughter Lindsay is in a lesbian relationship with Samantha Ronson.

The Mean Girls actress was recently seen canoodling with the DJ and Michael admits the pair are enjoying a romance.

He is quoted in Us Weekly magazine as saying: "The romance is evident to anyone with half a brain."

However, Michael - who is divorced from Lindsay's mother Dina - denied making the claims, and said he hadn't even seen the pictures of his daughter and Samantha.

He said: "Just like the topless Marilyn Monroe spread she did, Lindsay is my daughter and there are just some things a father doesn't want to see or hear, regardless of whether they are true or false.

"But she is a big girl, and she can make her own life choices. Then it is between her and God."

Lindsay, 21, is said to have recently told friends she wants to marry 30-year-old Samantha and was seen sporting a ring on her wedding finger at the Dolce and Gabbana party at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

The Georgia Rule star is reportedly planning a partnership ceremony with Samantha at Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park in July.

Lindsay is also referring to herself as Lindsay Ronson.

ExxonMobil shareholders show record support for nondiscrimination policy

HRC news release:

Executives continue to resist smallest steps towards equality

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today commented on shareholders at Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) voting with record support for a resolution to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the company’s official equal employment opportunity policy.  The percentage of shares voted in favor of the proposal has grown each of the last nine years, with 39.6 percent of shares voting in favor of the policy this year, which is the first year it has included “gender identity.”  The tally represents about 1.74 billion total shares voted in favor of the proposal.

“ExxonMobil continues to have the dubious distinction of being the only Fortune 50 company that refuses to add sexual orientation and gender identity to their non-discrimination policy, and is stuck in the ever-shrinking minority of businesses that don’t offer domestic partner benefits,” said Human Rights Campaign Foundation President Joe Solmonese.  “It is irresponsible for ExxonMobil to ignore overwhelming shareholder support and not to join the majority of companies that provide equal protections and benefits to all families.”

ExxonMobil is the only Fortune 50 company that refuses to write sexual orientation protections into its primary non-discrimination policy, which can be found in the company’s Standards of Business Conduct.  A total of 435 – nearly 90 percent – of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies and 153 – more than 30 percent – include gender identity.

ExxonMobil’s competitors, BP Corp., Chevron Corp., Dow Chemical, DuPont and Shell Oil all have non-discrimination statements inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity.  Moreover, ExxonMobil does not provide domestic partner health insurance to its employees.  A majority of the Fortune 500 companies have offered domestic partner benefits since 2006.

Solmonese continued, “While the rest of corporate America recognizes and respects the diversity of their workforce, ExxonMobil continues to resist the most basic protections that should be afforded to all Americans.”

The legacy Mobil Corp.’s equal employment opportunity policy included “sexual orientation,” and the company offered domestic partner benefits to its employees; however, upon its 1999 merger with Exxon, the non-discrimination protection was removed and the domestic partner benefits program closed to new employees.  Twenty-four members of Congress, and thousands of stockholders and consumers, wrote to ExxonMobil Chairman Lee R. Raymond in December 1999 to protest the policy reversals.  In January 2000, stockholders and activists protested at a company facility in Houston, causing the facility to close for the day.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation was present at ExxonMobil’s annual shareholder meeting in Dallas to present the shareholder resolution which it co-files in coordination with the New York City Comptroller and New York City Pension Funds.  For more information about the resolution, visit www.hrc.org/issues/8839.htm.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Field Poll: Majority of Californians now support gay marriage

Click here to see the poll results

BY PETER HECHT, Sacramento Bee

Signaling a generational shift in attitudes, a new Field Poll on Tuesday said California voters now support legal marriage between same-sex couples and oppose a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

By 51 to 42 percent, state voters believe gay couples have the right to marry, according to a May 17-26 poll of 1,052 registered voters.

However, the same poll revealed a California electorate that remains sharply divided over gay marriage – split by age, political affiliation, religion and the regions where they live.

The poll was taken after the May 15 California Supreme Court decision overturning a state ban on same-sex marriages. The results marked the first time in more than 30 years of state polling that a majority of Field Poll respondents favored making gay marriage legal.

In 2000, more than 61 percent of voters approved Proposition 22, a statute declaring that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid in California.

The state Supreme Court ruling overturned Proposition 22. Opponents of gay marriage have circulated an initiative likely to appear on the Nov. 4 ballot that would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage – negating the court decision.

Based on the Field Poll, the ultimate outcome of the gay marriage issue in California could hinge on the age of the electorate.

Reflecting stark differences in generational attitudes, 68 percent of voters between 18 and 29 years old said they favored allowing same-sex couples to marry. Fifty-eight percent of voters 30 to 39 and 51 percent of voters 40-49 favored gay marriage. That compared with 47 percent of voters 50-64 and 36 percent of those over 65 who supported the idea.

"As young people are replacing older people, voters are more supportive," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the California Field Poll. "The trend line itself is historic. The lines are crossing. This is a major sociological event in California."

The results weren't a surprise to Kari Bodine, 34, a Field Poll respondent from Sacramento County who is raising two children with her female partner.

"I don't need polling data to tell me that I am getting a different attitude these days," said Bodine, who with her partner got a marriage license in San Francisco before the state Supreme Court ruling. "I'm president of my daughter's school PTA. Everybody knows. And nobody questions me."

Another poll respondent, Richard Roberts, 89, said his attitudes have evolved. But like the majority of voters over 65, Roberts – a retired banking executive who lives in Lincoln Hills – said he is adamantly against legalizing same-sex marriage.

"I think gay people have rights as couples in terms of health care and insurance from an employer," Roberts said. "But as far as actual marriage goes, I don't believe in that."

Roberts said he is surprised himself that he now supports domestic partnerships – an option short of marriage – for gay couples. "I can recall when I was 55, I was totally against it," he said. "If you had asked me the same question then, I would have said they shouldn't have any rights."

In another Field Poll two years ago, state voters opposed gay marriage, 51 to 43 percent. DiCamillo said the recent shift may reflect both the presence of newer voters and a reaction to the state high court ruling.

"We had this historic ruling of the state Supreme Court, and people may have been persuaded," DiCamillo said. "We do see a shift. It looks like something happened to affect opinion."

The Field Poll asked two groups of voters differently worded questions on whether they would support a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Voters asked about "barring marriage between gay and lesbian couples" opposed a constitutional ban, 54 to 40 percent. Voters asked whether they favored or opposed "having the state constitution prohibit same-sex marriage," also opposed the ban, 51 to 43 percent.

Gay marriage was strongly opposed by inland California residents. Central Valley voters disapproved of same-sex marriage 55 to 38 percent.

Support surged on the coast, with Bay Area voters supporting gay marriage by 68 to 24 percent, and Los Angeles County voters supporting it by 55 to 38 percent.

While Democrats overwhelmingly supported gay marriage and Republicans overwhelmingly opposed it, there was also a significant religious split.

Born-again Christians objected to gay marriage, 68 to 24 percent. Protestants were opposed, 57 to 34 percent. Catholics were nearly evenly split. Voters from other religious groups favored gay marriage, 61 to 33 percent. Eighty-one percent of people with no religious preferences supported gay marriage.

"There are huge, substantial differences – whether you live in the Central Valley or on the coast, whether you're Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, Protestant or no religious affiliation," DiCamillo said. "It's a divisive issue."

While Field Poll respondent Donald Lewison, a retired probation officer in Sacramento County, doesn't object to civil unions, he said he is unbending on the word "marriage."

"I guess it's religious convictions," Lewison said. "I think marriage is just for a man and a woman, and anything beyond that is stretching the boundaries of my beliefs."

Placer County resident and poll respondent Patrick Donnelly, 52, said he has become more accepting of gay marriage and doesn't believe gay couples should be treated differently under the law than heterosexuals.

"California is changing fast as a state, and this change doesn't really surprise me," Donnelly said. "Almost no change surprises me anymore here."

California court to hear lesbian insemination case

By LISA LEFF, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO -- Guadalupe Benitez claims that after being treated with fertility drugs for nearly a year, her Christian doctors refused to inseminate her because she is a lesbian.

She sued and a San Diego County trial judge sided with her. But an appeals court reversed the ruling, and her lawsuit is scheduled to be heard by the California Supreme Court this week.

The case is closely being watched by civil rights and physician groups who think it could have consequences for other medical procedures, including abortion and end-of-life decisions.

"There is confusion among many health care providers who believe doctors have the freedom to pick and choose their patients," said Jennifer Pizer, an attorney with the gay rights legal group Lambda Legal who represents Benitez. "But doctors' ethics may not be exercised in a discriminatory way."

Benitez, now the mother of a 6-year-old boy and 2-year-old twin girls, sued Vista-based North Coast Women's Care Medical Group under a state law that prohibits for-profit businesses from arbitrarily discriminating against clients based on characteristics such as race, age and sexual orientation.

The appeals court noted that at the time Benitez sought treatment, California civil rights law still allowed businesses to restrict their clientele based on a customer's marital status and Benitez's doctors claimed the main reason they would not treat her was because she was unmarried.

Attorney Robert Tyler, who is representing the two North Coast doctors, said Benitez' claim that the physicians had a duty to inseminate her would be more convincing if the disputed procedure were a lifesaving measure instead of an elective one.

Tyler said the doctors acted compassionately and ethically, referring Benitez to the fertility specialist who succeeded in helping her get pregnant and offering to pay the extra costs.

"Here, the doctors are being asked to create life. Why shouldn't they be allowed to let their faith be an important part of their decision-making as it relates to either choosing to perform a procedure or referring the person to another physician who is willing to perform the procedure?" he said.

Peter Ferrara, general counsel for the Virginia-based American Civil Rights Union, said regardless of what the doctor's reasons were for refusing to inseminate her, a ruling in Benitez' favor would set a dangerous precedent.

"If you have a genuine moral issue raised, as in this case, you have to recognize the rights of both parties," said Ferrara, who filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the doctors.

Requiring them to act in violation of their beliefs "is a discriminatory resolution, and it discriminates against Christians," he said.

The American Civil Liberties Union, California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the National Health Law Program and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association also filed papers backing Benitez.

The doctors are backed by the Islamic Medical Association of North America, the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, the California Catholic Conference, the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists and Americans United for Life.

The California Medical Association initially sided with the doctors but reversed its position after coming under fire from gay rights groups.

Benitez, 36, said she and her partner decided to pursue the case because they wanted to prevent other couples from suffering the disappointment and humiliation they did.

"Even now I still have reservations when I go to a new doctor," she said. "The first question we ask each other is, 'Do you think they will have an issue and not take into consideration at all that we are a normal family like anyone?'"

Pizer said that while doctors can opt out of performing certain procedures on religious grounds, they cannot exclude medically eligible patients from the services they do provide.

"If a doctor in good conscience can't provide good medical care, that doctor should not be in that field," she said. "If a person isn't willing to provide the care the person needs, they shouldn't be wearing the lab coat."

Log Cabin Republicans endorse Ros-Lehtinen for reelection to Congress

News release:

From The Advocate:

Log Cabin Releases Initial List of Endorsements for U.S. House & Senate

The Log Cabin Republicans announced Tuesday six endorsements for the U.S. House and Senate.  The organization endorses the following candidates for re-election: Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representatives Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Christopher Shays (R-CT).
"We're proud to endorse these six lawmakers for re-election," said Log Cabin President Patrick Sammon.  "They're strong allies and they have excellent records on issues of basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans. We look forward to helping them win re-election." Sammon called their endorsees "the future of the Republican Party," saying that they support a "unifying agenda" and believe that the Republican Party must be "a big tent party" that welcomes everyone.

LCR provided the following information about the records of these GOP Congressional members:

Senator Gordon Smith is one of Log Cabin's strongest allies in the U.S. Senate.  He has fought for basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans-leading the fight in the Senate for hate crimes and HIV/AIDS legislation.  Smith co-sponsored the Early Treatment for HIV Act and the Matthew Shepard (hate crimes) Act.  He has also led the way in fighting for basic fairness in tax legislation, recently introducing the Tax Equity for Domestic Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act and the Domestic Partnership Benefits & Obligations Act.

Senator Susan Collins is a strong supporter of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and is a co-sponsor of the Matthew Sheppard Act.  Sen. Collins opposed the anti-family federal marriage amendment and has also been a leader in the Senate on HIV/AIDS funding.  Recently, Sen. Collins pressed Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen on the harmful "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.  During a Senate hearing, Collins expressed growing concern that the loss of gay service members under the law is harming our nation's security.

Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack opposed the anti-family federal marriage amendment.  She also voted for the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.  Plus, she's a leading Congressional advocate for sound HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention policies.  She's a co-sponsor of the Early Treatment for HIV Act and led efforts in the House to re-authorize the Ryan White CARE Act.
Congressman Mark Kirk voted against the anti-family federal marriage amendment.  He is the lead Republican co-sponsor of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Hate Crimes Prevention Act and supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a co-sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act and has provided a powerful conservative voice in the fight to end the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.  She voted against the anti-family federal marriage amendment.  She also supports the hate crimes bill, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Early Treatment for HIV Act.  Most recently, Ros-Lehtinen has spoken out forcefully against human rights violations of LGBT citizens abroad, particularly in radical Islamic regimes.  She has also urged fair treatment of gay and lesbian employees of the U.S. State Department.

Congressman Christopher Shays is the lead Republican co-sponsor of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.  He is also a strong supporter of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act and a co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  He voted against the anti-family federal marriage amendment and is a strong supporter of sound HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention policies. (The Advocate)

Paid for and Approved by Ros-Lehtinen for Congress

Victory Fund endorses Florida House candidate Mark LaFontaine

News release:

VICTORY FUND ENDORSES MARK LAFONTAINE FOR HOUSE DISTRICT 92

Candidate Also Turns In More Petitions Than Necessary for August 26 Ballot

Oakland Park – Mark LaFontaine, candidate for the State Legislature from District 92, was formally endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, the nation’s largest GLBT political action committee and the only national organization dedicated to increasing the number of openly GLBT elected officials at all levels of government. LaFontaine also turned in substantially more petitions than needed to secure a spot on the August 26 ballot, registering 694 valid petitions. Only 615 were required.

“I’m pleased to accept the endorsement of the Victory Fund, because their track record of supporting winning candidates underscores the momentum my campaign has achieved,” LaFontaine said. “Florida has never elected an openly-GLBT representative to Tallahassee, and this endorsement, plus our strong petition drive, brings us one step closer to making history.”

LaFontaine has long been an advocate for Florida’s GLBT community. He is national treasurer of American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), which supports US veterans both gay and straight, and president of the local Gold Coast chapter, the largest in the organization. And he is a board member of the Dolphin Democrats, the oldest GLBT Democratic club in the state, as well its former treasurer.

LaFontaine also was a leader in Scouting for All, which fought discrimination in the Boy Scouts. He was instrumental in leading a diverse coalition including GLBT groups and religious and mental health leaders, which resulted in several government and community organizations pulling their funding from the Boy Scouts – including Broward County, the Broward School Board, and United Way of Broward County.

In addition to supporting the GLBT community, LaFontaine is also a member of the Broward County Veterans Council, and is the only veteran in the District 92 race, having served in the US Coast Guard. A resident of Broward County since he was six years old, LaFontaine is the owner of a successful accounting practice based in Oakland Park, is a board member of Oakland Park Main Street, which is guiding that city’s development, and also has been a member of the Fort Lauderdale Audit Advisory Board, which oversees the city’s finances.

In addition to Victory Fund support, LaFontaine has been endorsed by US Rep. Barney Frank, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, and Florida Rep. Kelly Skidmore (Dist. 90).

Florida House District 92 includes parts of Deerfield Beach, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Lazy Lake, Poinsettia Heights, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Victoria Park and Wilton Manors.

# # #

On the web:

www.MarkLaFontaine.com

www.VictoryFund.org

Letter to the Editor | 'Stark differences between the three major candidates'

From Marc Paige of Fort Lauderdale:

This election year shows stark differences between the three major candidates remaining in the race. Two of the three want to partially or completely do away with “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) and the “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA), the anti-gay laws left over from Bill Clinton’s administration. In Barak Obama, we have a candidate who supports eliminating DOMA and DADT completely. Hillary Clinton wants to eliminate DADT, but only part of DOMA.

John McCain feels the policy of discrimination against gay people in the military “is working,” wanting to keep DADT as is. And while all three candidates believe that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, those who say McCain has a similar position to Obama and Clinton regarding the recognition of gay couples is either lying, or completely uninformed.

Senators Obama and Clinton favor giving gay couples all the federal rights of marriage, but without calling it that. Instead they want to call this institution “civil unions.” Senator McCain’s position remains that gay relationships, no matter what they are called, are unworthy of federal recognition or rights. However, McCain did tell talk show host Ellen DeGeneres that she and her partner Portia de Rossi should be free to hire lawyers and arrange legal contracts for inheritance purposes and medical powers of attorney. Thanks, John.

Our next President’s policy positions and Supreme Court appointments will have a tremendous influence on our lives. Those concerned with the human rights of gay men and women have a great deal at stake in this election.